Sources |
- [S74] Atchley Funeral Home Records, Volume IV, 1987-1999, Larry D. Fox, (Smoky Mountain Historical Society), 26 Sep 1996.
Samuel Hobart Maples obituary
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 4 Feb 2008.
Being a legal specialist was roughly equivalent to being a paralegal - Layman had learned a lot about the military code of justice. He thought serving as a military policeman would offer some new challenges.
It was the beginning of a career.
"That was where my first exposure to law enforcement began," he said.
They provided security at airports and seaports, acted as field MPs at some bases and served as security at the U.S. embassy in Kuwait City, he said.
He returned to Sevier County in 1991, after his mother was diagnosed with cancer. "I felt like it was my best choice to come back home," he said.
His career in civilian law enforcement started soon after that, when then-Sheriff Don Ogle hired him as a bailiff. He served as a patrolman under Sheriff Bruce Montgomery in 1994 and 1995, and completed the law enforcement academy at Walters State in 1994.
From 1995 until 2000, he served on the Governor's Task Force for Marijuana Eradication.
"It was an easy fit for me, to put on camos and climb up these mountainsides and eradicate marijuana," Layman said.
He became director of juvenile services for Sevier County in 2001, as the program got started.
He was hired before work on the juvenile detention facility was finished, and that allowed him to help set up the design for the cameras and security system.
"I sat down and wrote all the directives, all the operational manuals and hired all the staff while that was under construction," he said.
The facility and its training standards have been held up as an example in the state, he said.
Layman has been married to Tracy for 18 years. They have an 11-year-old son, Reece. His mother is former Circuit Court Clerk Janette Layman-Ballard. His stepfather is Eddie Ballard.
His Sevier County roots run deep: His great-grandfather was a county judge and his grandfather was a school teacher. He studied architecture when he first started attending Walters State Community College.
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